News

Marine mammal research project needs your help

The Department of Environmental Affairs together with Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University have initiated a Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) project on the cetaceans (i.e. whales and dolphins) in Plettenberg Bay.

A listening station has been established 1 km off the Robberg 5 beach. The project aims to understand the acoustic characteristics of different species of
whales and dolphins in the area as well as to assess if hydrophones can be reliably used to monitor cetacean populations over time. We need to match up the acoustic signals with visual surveys and this is where you come in. If you see a whale or dolphin from land or at sea please report your sightings via SMS to 078 550 1742.

The most likely species to be sighted in the vicinity of Robberg are; Bottlenose dolphin, Humpback dolphin, Common dolphin, Humpback whale, Southern Right whale and the Bryde’s whale.

Please include the following information in your SMS:

Number of dolphins or whales

Location of the animal(s)

Date and time of the sighting.

If you would like to listen to some of the recordings from the Garden Route then please follow this link:
http://www.conserbio.org/.